Thiel Happenings

Five Thiel College students nominated for national college broadcasting awards

Five Thiel College media students have been nominated for Intercollegiate Broadcasting System awards and among the students attending this year’s Intercollegiate Broadcasting System’s 79th Annual Conference held at New York City’s Hotel Pennsylvania on March 1—3.

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Harding, Long named first student of the month honorees for spring 2019 semester

Thiel College announces Madalyn Harding ’19, of Warren, Pa., and Michael Long ’19, of Cortland, Ohio, are the first Student of the Month honorees for the spring 2019 semester.

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New leader in place for Thiel College Communication program and James Pedas Communication Center

Kyle Woody is the new executive director of Thiel College’s James Pedas Communication Center and will serve as the James Pedas Endowed Chair of Communication and Assistant Professor of Communication.

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Bittcher shares story of purpose and professional fulfillment

Jane Bittcher ’80 was a business administration major who also studied art while she was at Thiel College. After graduating she began working at Mellon Bank. While she was working at Mellon, she got her Master of Education degree. When she completed that, she continued working at Mellon and spent 28 years there. Her presentation covered other stops in her career, including her current position with Lutheran Senior Life. She discussed four important career tips with students in the Ruth A. Miller Senior Seminar class of Norman P. Mortensen Chair of Economics and Professor of Business Administration and Accounting David Miller ’61.

• Read about past speakers at the Ruth A. Miller Senior Seminar page.

“The most rewarding part of her job is the time she gets to spend with elders, who are always happy for a visit. Jane’s talk was a reminder that your career is important, but not as important as what you do for others. And if you are lucky, you can do both, like she does.”—Terri Eddy ’19

“She works with home-based health care and takes care of people from birth to death. Jane says her job is very rewarding but can also be very sad because she works with such great people who are at the end of their lives. Jane provided us with some very useful and insightful information, and I am glad we had the privilege of listening to her story.”—Nick Fowkes ’19

“Jane left every student with four recommendations that should be thought about. The first advice given was always have goals. No. 2, do what is best for you. Listen and think about all the advice you get. Figure out how it pertains to your life and career. Three, find a trusted advisor. Lastly, be true to yourself and do what is right. Jane gave many important life lessons and informational tips that all needed to hear.”—Paul Wotus ’19

“Lessons learned:

• Take every piece of advice, but at the end of the day, follow your heart
• Acquire a mentor that’ll be honest with you and five the good and bad in every scenario
• You can’t help anyone if you need help yourself, so create an efficient equation of charitable work, along with self-benefitting initiatives as well.”—Ben Ratka ’19

“Looking back, Jane says that her experience at Thiel College means much more to her now than when she was attending the College. She credits Thiel with providing her with leadership and communication skills which helped her succeed.”—Ryan Ball ’19

Open forum for speech language pathology program is Monday

Employees should attend the open forum 4–5 p.m. Monday, March 11 in the Stamm Lecture Hall of the James Pedas Communication Center for the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at Thiel College. The College is an Applicant for Candidacy by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

On Oct. 23, 2018, Thiel College received review observation from the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The forum is part of the site visit by three representatives from the CAA. 

Employees invited to open session on campus ministry Monday

On Monday and Tuesday, Thiel College is hosting Mark Wilhelm, executive director of the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities and Rev. Kristen Glass Perez, chaplain at Muhlenberg College to conduct a program review for campus ministry.

An open session for the campus community is from 2:40–3:30 p.m. in Stamm Lecture Hall of the James Pedas Communication Center.

Student News

Student teachers lock-in for literacy at Sharpsville

Megan Lee ’19, Justin Walter ’19 and Annika Schul ’19 volunteered to be a part of the fourth grade Sharpsville Elementary Literacy Lock-In. The three student teachers were placed at different learning centers with a dinosaur theme whereby students worked on the students’ reading skills through fun and interactive activities.

Military Heroes Week essay contest open to students and employees

Anyone passionate about a military hero in their life, who wants to explore how military heroes affect our freedoms as citizens or creatively express an appreciation for our military hero heroes can participate in the Kappa Sigma Military Heroes Week Essay Contest. 
Answer one of the prompts below with an essay of 1,200 words or less.

Essay requirements

• Please have a title and identify which prompt question you chose, and why?
• Please keep the essay to 1,200 words or less.
• Deadline for entry is March 25.
• Have your entry proofread and edited to fit American English language standards.

Essay prompts

• Describe a military hero that you know. What qualities does he or she possess? How has he or she made a positive impact in your life, the community, or our country?
•  What's the significance of military service people? How do they show heroism in what they do?

The top three essay submissions will have their work honored at a public reading on Friday, March 29 in the Lutheran Heritage Room and with publication in next year's edition of The Phoenix, Thiel’s creative literary magazine.

A grand prize winner will be awarded a $20 gift card to Sheetz!

For more information or to submit an entry, contact Charlie Lichtenwalter ’21.

Etc.

Tomcat Tributes

Tomcat Tributes recognize the teamwork Thiel College employees exhibit each day. Employees can nominate co-workers for recognition in four categories (Random Act of Kindness, Going the Extra Mile, Had a Great Idea, Just Because).

• To nominate a fellow employee, visit the Campus Resources link on the Thiel Hub.